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Bangor-class minesweeper
|Class before=''Halcyon'' class |Class after=''Algerine'' class |Subclasses= |Built range= |In commission range=7 November 1940 – |Total ships building= |Total ships planned= |Total ships completed=''Bangor'' 14 Blyth 19 Ardrossan 26 |Total ships cancelled= |Total ships active= |Total ships laid up= |Total ships lost= |Total ships retired= |Total ships preserved= }} |module2= |Ship beam= |Ship draught= |Ship propulsion=2 shafts, 9-cylinder diesel, |Ship speed= |Ship complement=60 |Ship armament='(RN specs):' 1 x QF 12-pdr gun 1 x quadruple Vickers machine gun Mark III (RCN specs): 1 x QF gun 1 x 2-pdr Mark VIII 2 x twin machine guns }} |module3= |Ship beam= |Ship draught= |Ship propulsion=2 Admiralty 3-drum water tube boilers, 2 shafts, vertical triple-expansion reciprocating engines, |Ship speed= |Ship complement=60 (RN) 70 (RCN) 87 (RIN) |Ship armament='(RN specs):' 1 x QF 12-pdr gun 1 x quadruple Vickers machine gun / single QF 2 pdr Mark VIII (RCN specs): 1 x QF gun 1 x QF 2 pdr Mark VIII 2 x twin machine guns (RIN specs): 1 x QF 12-pdr gun 3 x single Oerlikon 20 mm guns }} |module4= |Ship beam= |Ship draught= |Ship propulsion=2 Admiralty 3-drum water tube boilers, 2 shafts coupled to steam turbines, |Ship speed= |Ship complement=60 (RN) 87 (RIN) |Ship armament='(RN specs):' 1 x QF 12-pdr gun 1 x quadruple Vickers machine gun / single QF 2 pdr Mark VIII (RIN specs): 1 x QF 12-pdr gun 3 x single Oerlikon 20 mm guns }} }} The Bangor-class minesweepers were a class of warships operated by the Royal Navy (RN), Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Royal Indian Navy (RIN) during the Second World War. The class derives its name from the lead ship, , which was launched on 19 February 1940 and commissioned on 7 November of that year. Royal Navy ships were named after coastal towns of the United Kingdom Their lack of size gave them poor sea handling abilities, reportedly worse even than the Flower class corvettes. The diesel-engined versions were considered to have poorer handling characteristics than the slow-speed reciprocating-engined variants. Their shallow draft made them unstable and their short hulls tended to bury the bow when operating in a head sea. The Bangor-class vessels were also considered overcrowded, cramming six officers and over 90 ratings into a vessel originally intended for a total of 40. Despite claims to the contrary, the Australian ''Bathurst'' class corvettes were a wholly Australian design, and not based on the Bangor class.Nelson to Vanguard, by D K Brown, pub Chatham Publishing. Design and development The original intent of the Bangor-class minesweeper design was to provide a coastal equivalent of the ''Halcyon''-class minesweeper; however the realities brought to light by the start of the war caused a modification of the design before construction had started. The need for quick construction coupled with the limitations of engineering resources resulted in several variations existing based on the availability of propulsion machinery. The ships all had twin screws, but the machinery was a mix of steam turbine, slow-speed steam reciprocating, high-speed steam reciprocating and diesel. The diesel powered examples were about 20 feet (6 m) shorter than the rest as they had no need for boiler rooms. Displacement varied with propulsion machinery from 590 to 672 tons. The reciprocating engine powered Bangor''s were also known as the ''Blyth class and the steam turbine powered versions as the Ardrossan class. Ships in class Diesel-engined Turbine-engined Reciprocating-engined See also * Ton class minesweeper References and notes * Warships of World War II, by H. T. Lenton & J. J. Colledge, pub. Ian Allen Ltd. External links * [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/class.html?ID=132 Bangor class minesweepers at uboat.net] * [http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/canada/ww2/bangor/ Canadian Bangor class at hazegray.org] Category:Mine warfare vessel classes Bangor-class minesweepers World War II minesweepers of the United Kingdom World War II minesweepers of Canada World War II minesweepers of India